We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which
people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace
to go on living to better effect.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 95

When I came to A. A., I was run down by the bottle and
wanted to lose the obsession to drink, but I didn't really
know how to do that. I decided to stick around long enough
to find out from the ones who went before me. All of a
sudden I was thinking about God! I was told to get a Higher
Power and I had no idea what one looked like. I found out
there are many Higher Powers. I was told to find God, as I
understand Him, that there was no doctrine of the Godhead
in A.A. I found what worked for me and then asked that
Power to restore me to sanity. The obsession to drink was
removed and--one day at a time--my life went on, and I
learned how to live sober.

***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Alcohol is our weakness. We suffer from mental conflicts
from which we look for escape by drowning our problems in
drink. We try through drink to push away from the realities
of life. But alcohol does not feed, alcohol does not build,
it only borrows from the future and it ultimately destroys.
We try to drown our feelings in order to escape life's
realities, little realizing or caring that in continued
drinking we are only multiplying our problems. Have I got
control over my unstable emotions?

Meditation For The Day

When I let personal piques and resentments interfere with
what I know to be my proper conduct, I am on the wrong track
and I am undoing all I have built up by doing the right
thing. I must never let personal piques interfere with
living the way I know God wants me to live. When I have no
clear guidance from God, I must go forward quietly along the
path of duty. The attitude of quiet faith will receive its
reward as surely as acting upon God's direct guidance. I must
not weaken my spiritual power by letting personal piques
upset me.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not let myself become too upset. I pray that
I may go quietly along the path I have chosen.

***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It

Aspects of
Tolerance, p. 175

All kinds of people have found their way into A.A. Not too long ago, I
sat talking in my
office with a member who bears the title of Countess. That same night,
I went to an A.A.
meeting. It was winter, and there was a mild-looking little gent taking
the coats. I said,
"Who's that?"

And somebody answered, "Oh, he's been around for a long time. Everybody
likes him.
He used to be one of Al Capone's mob." That's how universal A.A. is
today.

<< << << >> >> >>

We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by
which faith can
be acquired. All of us, whatever our race, creed, or color, are the
children of a living
Creator, with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and
understandable terms
as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.

Expressing gratitude
Self Improvement
How can we express gratitude when we feel it? We can begin by
simply
using the proper forms of courtesy at all times; this reminds us that
we can't live without other people.
The best way to express gratitude, however, is to "ass on" the good
that has come to us. This is more effective when we share ideas and
experiences that have helped us on the way to self-improvement.
It's also a good idea to dismiss thoughts and statements that are forms
of prideful boasting. Even telling people how hard we've worked for the
12 Step program can detract from our gratitude. And never, under any
circumstances, should we put others under obligation to us.
I'll discover ways to express my gratitude today. I'll know that
my
best way of doing it is to pass on good ideas to others.***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

Beauty is gift of God.---Aristotle
In our addiction, we often went after what was ugly in life. Maybe we
hung out in bad places.
Maybe we saw people's defects instead of their beauty. Addiction is
ugly,
painful disease. The worst part of addiction is how it doesn't let us
see
beauty in the world.
There is much beauty in each of us. Recovery is beautiful. Our stories
are beautiful. The way we help each other is beautiful. The way we
become
loving family members is beautiful. But sometimes, we may still see the
world as ugly. At these times, we need to turn to our program.
Maybe we need to help someone by working Step Twelve. Maybe we need ask
to give the Step at our meeting. Maybe we just need to read the Big
Book.
Whatever we do, one thing is sure--- if we turn to our program, we'll
see
how beautiful the world is.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see beautiful today.
Help me
be beautiful
today.
Action for the Day: Today I'll let myself feel beautiful. I'll
see
recovery as
beautiful.

***********************************************************Each Day a New Beginning

If you attach yourself to one person, you ultimately end up having an
unhealthy relationship. --Shirley MacLaine
Needing people in our lives is healthy, human and natural. Needing a
single person to love at a very deep level, is also soothing to the
soul's well-being. Love and attachment are not synonymous, however.
They are close to being opposites. If we "attach" ourselves to others,
our movements as separate individuals are hampered. Attachment means
dependency; it means letting our movements be controlled by the one we
are "hooked" to.
Dependency on mood-altering chemicals, on food, on people, means
unmanageability in our individual lives. Many of us in this recovery
program, though abstinent, still struggle with our dependency on a
certain person or a certain friend.
The tools we are learning apply in all cases of dependency. It is
healthy independence we are striving for--taking responsibility for our
own lives--making choices appropriate for our personal selves. Loving
others means letting them make their own choices unhampered by our
"attachment."
Are my relationships attachments or are they based on love? I will take
an inventory of them today.***********************************************************Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition

Chapter 11 - A Vision For You

You are going to meet these new friends in your own community. Near
you, alcoholics are dying helplessly like people in a sinking ship. If
you live in a large place, there are hundreds. High and low, rich and
poor, these are future fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous. Among them you
will make lifelong friends. You will be bound to them with new and
wonderful ties, for you will escape disaster together and you will
commence shoulder to shoulder your common journey. Then you will know
what it means to give of yourself that others may survive and
rediscover life. You will learn the full meaning of “Love thy neighbor
as thyself.”

A.A. TAUGHT HIM TO HANDLE
SOBRIETY -
"God willing, we . . . may never again have to deal with drinking, but
we have to deal with sobriety every day."

By the time I reached high school, I was an overachiever. An
honor student in college, I became editor of the yearbook. I sold
my first article to a national magazine while still an
undergraduate. I also began to drink at fraternity partied and
beer busts.

p. 554***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Two -
"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us
to sanity."

"As
material success founded upon no more than these ordinary attributes
began to come to us, we felt we were winning at the game of life. This
was exhilarating, and it made us happy. Why should we be bothered with
theological abstractions and religious duties, or with the state of our
souls here or hereafter? The here and now was good
enough for us. The will to win would carry us through. But then alcohol
began to have its way with us. Finally, when all our score cards read
`zero,' and we saw that one more strike would put us out of the game
forever, we had to look for our lost faith. It was in A.A. that we
rediscovered it. And so can you."

p. 29***********************************************************

God, today I give you all of the guilt from my past. Take it from me,
and allow me to begin fresh right now. Help me make the amends I
need to make, then let my guilt go.
--Melody Beattie

"Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes
revenge, and dares forgive an injury."
-- E. H. Chapin

The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare
up the steps; we must step up the stairs.
--Vance Havner

Trust, faith, love of God, makes light all my burdens.
--SweetyZee

"It's not the load that breaks you down...it's the way you carry it."
--unknown

Worry about tomorrow saps today of its strength.
--unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PERFECTION

"I have offended God and
mankind because my work didn't
reach the quality it should
have."
--Leonardo da Vinci

How I used to beat myself up! I was not good enough. I was not
attractive enough. I could not speak properly. I was too small. My
family was not prestigious enough. I was boring. My breath smelled,
etc., etc. I never saw my value in life. I could never see beyond my
failings into my God-given virtues. Sin was all too evident in my life!

Today I catch an egotism in my past criticism of self and others! Who
was I to think I should be perfect? I could find fault with the
Archangel
Gabriel if he came to be my neighbor. My compulsive disease
extended beyond drugs to negative attitudes about life.

Today I see my value. Sobriety has restored my dignity. Today I am in
touch with that part of me that is noble. Today in my sobriety I am a
spiritual somebody, not a nobody.

Let my desire for "perfection" be tempered by reality.

***********************************************************

"Before
I
formed
you
in
the
womb I knew you, before you were born I set you
apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign
LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the
LORD said to me, "Do not say, `I am only a child.' You must go to
everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid
of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me,
"Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over
nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow,
to build and to plant." Jeremiah 1:5-10

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with
an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build
you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will
take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.
Jeremiah 31:3-4***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration
You will have an easier time keeping your thoughts
positive if you look for good in every situation. Lord, help me change
my focus and develop an awareness that situations often have more good
in them than bad.

If you live in the light of God, He will bless the work of your hands
and you will see your efforts flourish. Lord, I am your servant. I do
my daily work for You and I am filled with peace.

***********************************************************

NA Just For Today

Tolerance

"...ever reminding us to place
principles before personalities."Tradition Twelve

Sometimes it's hard to accept others'
character defects. As we recover together, we not only listen to others
talk in meetings, we also watch how they walk through their recovery.
The more we get to know other members, the more we become aware of how
they live their lives. We may form opinions about how they "work their
program." We may find that certain members upset us, or we may even
hear ourselves say, "If I worked their program, I would surely use."

We have found tolerance to be a
principle that not only strengthens our own recovery but also our
relationships with individuals who are a source of irritation to us. It
becomes easier to accept other members' frailties when we remember that
we ourselves rarely turn over our own character defects until we become
painfully aware of them.

Just for today: I will strive to
accept others as they are. I will try not to judge others. I will focus
on the principles of love and acceptance.

***********************************************************

You are reading from the book Today's
Gift.Self-image sets the boundaries of
individual accomplishment. --Maxwell MaltzThe way we think about ourselves
determines how we behave and who we become. If Eileen believes she is
good at baseball, she will swing the bat more confidently and catch fly
balls more easily. And her extra effort will generally pay off. At
math, Steve thinks he's a whiz and it makes him proud. He studies so
he'll continue to be a whiz.The image we have of ourselves is like
the blueprint the contractor follows when building a house. When we see
ourselves sad or angry, our behavior and personality will match it.
When we see ourselves withdrawn and afraid, we seem to avoid activities
that involve others. How wonderful that we can change our behavior and
thus ourselves by changing the picture we carry in our minds.Do I have a good picture of myself
today?

You are reading from the book
Touchstones.The only intrinsic evil is lack of
love. --John RobinsonWhen we have feelings of guilt or
self-hate, we have spiritual problems. It is a time to turn to our
program for help. In the early stages of recovery we may, at times,
feel more shameful than we ever did before, simply because we are
becoming honest about how we feel. We may even become ashamed of our
guilty feelings, and then the problem escalates.Lack of love for ourselves is at the
heart of our problem. We cannot become self-loving by force of will,
but we can stop being so willful by simply yielding to the care of a
loving God. At those moments we do not feel deserving of love, but we
can stop fending it off. Perhaps God's love is coming to us in the
concern of a friend or partner. Maybe it comes in the warm sunshine or
in the smile of a child. As we yield to it, we take a spiritual leap
into a world we don't control and we didn't create, but we can be
healed by it.Today, I will surrender to the love
which comes from the world around me and let it teach me how to love
myself.

You are reading from the book Each Day
a New Beginning.If you attach yourself to one person,
you ultimately end up having an unhealthy relationship. --Shirley
MacLaineNeeding people in our lives is
healthy, human and natural. Needing a single person to love at a very
deep level, is also soothing to the soul's well-being. Love and
attachment are not synonymous, however. They are close to being
opposites. If we "attach" ourselves to others, our movements as
separate individuals are hampered. Attachment means dependency; it
means letting our movements be controlled by the one we are "hooked" to.Dependency on mood-altering chemicals,
on food, on people, means unmanageability in our individual lives. Many
of us in this recovery program, though abstinent, still struggle with
our dependency on a certain person or a certain friend.The tools we are learning apply in all
cases of dependency. It is healthy independence we are striving
for--taking responsibility for our own lives--making choices
appropriate for our personal selves. Loving others means letting them
make their own choices unhampered by our "attachment."Are my relationships attachments or
are they based on love? I will take an inventory of them today.

You are reading from the book The
Language of Letting Go.DetachmentDetachment doesn't come naturally for
many of us. But once we realize the value of this recovery principle,
we understand how vital detachment is. The following story illustrates
how a woman came to understand detachment."The first time I practiced detachment
was when I let go of my alcoholic husband. He had been drinking for
seven years --since I had married him. For that long, I had been
denying his alcoholism and trying to make him stop drinking."I did outrageous things to make him
stop drinking, to make him see the light, to make him realize how much
he was hurting me. I really thought I was doing things right by trying
to control him."One night, I saw things clearly. I
realized that my attempts to control him would never solve the problem.
I also saw that my life was unmanageable. I couldn't make him do
anything he didn't want to do. His alcoholism was controlling me, even
though I wasn't drinking."I set him free, to do as he chose.
The truth is, he did as he pleased anyway. Things changed the night I
detached. He could feel it, and so could I. When I set him free, I set
myself free to live my own life."I've had to practice the principle of
detachment many times since then. I've had to detach from unhealthy
people and healthy people. It's never failed. Detachment works."Detachment is a gift. It will be given
to us when we're ready for it. When we set the other person free, we
are set free.Today, wherever possible, I will
detach in love.

I love me because of all that I am,
not just a part of me. I fully accept myself just as I am today and
that feels so good. --Ruth Fishel

**************************************************

Journey To The Heart

Restore Your Natural Balance

Seek healing, a refilling of energy
and spirit, as soon as you see that you need it. You don’t have to push
yourself to give, do, or perform when what your body, mind, soul, and
emotions need is to heal.

Seek and support your natural balance.
Listen to your body, listen to your soul, and both will tell you what
they need and when. If you aren’t certain what you need,ask. Ask your
body what you need. Ask your heart what to do next. Ask God and the
universe to help.

Find the balance that’s right for you.
Become sensitive to your needs. When you become stressed, depleted, out
of sync, in need of healing, seek help immediately. Nurture and care
for yourself until you’re in balance again.

Inhale, receive. Exhale, give back.
Your natural balance is as necessary as breathing. The inhaling is the
breathing in of life’s energy. The exhaling is the sharing of your
resources. You wouldn’t expect to exhale if you hadn’t inhaled. So it
goes with healing, with our life force, with our energy. You cannot
give it out if you don’t take it in.

Find the balance of receiving and
giving, of the taking in of energy and the giving out of energy, that
works for you.

Let the balance become natural. See
how much more you do and are. See how much better you feel when you
keep your life force vital.

**************************************************

More Language Of Letting Go

Find ways to relax

Recovering alcoholics– and many people
who choose not to drink or use drugs– need to find ways to relax that
don’t involve alcohol, drugs, or medications.

Many of us remember daily that we are
choosing not to drink or use drugs. But we may forget that it’s
important to learn ways to relax our bodies and our minds. Maybe it’s
time to assertively pursue options for helping us to unwind.

I can tell you things that help me:
Hot water– whether it’s taking a long shower, sitting in a hot tub, or
resting in a bathtub, meditation and visualization being near a large
body of water and if that’s not possible, looking at a good picture of
the ocean or a beautiful sea; drinking hot herbal tea; massage; music;
meditation tapes; a good movie; laughter, deep, conscious breathing;
playing the piano; and being outside in the sun.

We each have our own needs, our own
methods of calming ourselves down. Do you have a list of what works for
you? If you don’t, today is a good day to make one.

Today and each day do at least one
thing deliberately that relaxes you. Begin allowing your body to
memorize how it feels when it’s relaxed; then consciously duplicate
that feeling throughout the day whenever you feel yourself become tense.

God, show me ways to relax.

Activity: Begin making a list of the
things that help you relax. This is an important part of your
self-care. If it’s a long one, great. If it’s a short one, pursue other
methods of relaxing that are available to you, and add them to this
list. Whenever you feel yourself becoming tense, take out your list and
actually do one of the things on it– the one that most appeals to you
at that moment. Part of getting to know yourself better means becoming
acquainted with things that help your body relax.

**************************************************

In God’s Care

Discipline is the basis of a
satisfying life.~~Katharine Hepburn

When trying to reach a goal, we may
tire of the constant effort that is required of us, or we may rebel
against the structure that’s necessary to keep us focused. We often
long for what we remember as a freer, more spontaneous time in the past.

It’s helpful to remember that our
goals come from our desire for change. We can see each yearning as
God’s invitation for us to move in a new direction. And we can be sure
that we have God as our helpmate throughout the journey wherever our
destination may be.

Goals that inspire us to act bring
meaning to our life. We make progress in moving toward them, and our
feeling of satisfaction and renewed sense of purpose will motivate us
to persevere to their completion.

The comfort of regular conscious
contact with our Higher Power, as we seek always to align our goals
with God’s will for us, will carry us to the fulfillment of our goals.

I will seek direction and strength
from God while moving toward my goals today.

**************************************************
**************

Day By Day

Getting honest

There is an intuitive understanding
between recovering addicts and newcomers. Old-timers know well the
games that newcomers play at first. Newcomers are not asked what
they’re thinking, they’re told what they’re thinking! They don’t need
to be trapped into lies; old-timers tell them the lies they were about
to tell.

Thus, in the beginning, we start to
get honest because we hardly have a choice. We give up on playing games
because there are no tricks left in the bag. Being confronted by
others, we have to get honest – honest enough to save our lives.

Have I stopped playing games? Am I
getting more honest?

Higher Power, let me be grateful for
the intuition and quick tongue of my fellow members:They can help me get honest.

I will practice honesty today by…

**************************************************

Food for Thought

A Program for Living

The OA program does much more than
promote our recovery from compulsive overeating, essential as that is.
It gives us a structure for our daily lives. Before OA, we chased
illusions and despaired when they let us down. Now we have a concrete
plan of action for living richer, fuller lives.

We have found like-minded friends who
help and encourage us. Instead of isolating ourselves and consuming, we
are experiencing the fellowship of sharing. We find that the more we
contribute to OA, the more we get out of it.

Practicing the Twelve Steps involves
every aspect of our lives. We cannot be honest in our efforts to work
this program without being honest in all our affairs. What we learn
about ourselves through OA can be applied to our other activities as
well. We were eating compulsively because we did not know how to cope
with the rest of life. As we become better equipped for living through
the guidance of our Higher Power, we recover from our disease.

Bless our program, we pray.

**************************************************

Foundations of EvolutionAcknowledging Your Growth by Madisyn Taylor

Evolution of your soul is a natural
fact of life and becomes a potent motivational force when celebrated.

Since personal evolution is most often
a slow and gradual process, it can be difficult to recognize the scope
of the changes taking place in our lives. Yet it is important that we
regularly acknowledge our ongoing growth and reward ourselves for the
many wonderful feats of self-improvement we have accomplished. When we
intentionally contemplate our progress, we need never feel that we are
languishing between past achievements and the realization of future
goals. If we look closely at our lives, we may see that much of what
brings us pleasure in the present is representative of the ambitions of
our past that we worked so hard to attain. At one time, the abundance
we enjoy currently likely seemed like a far-off dream. Now it is simply
reality—a reality we created through our diligence, passion, and
unflagging determination. Whether our progress is fast or slow, we
deserve to congratulate ourselves for our successes.

To remind yourself of the insights you
have gained with time, temporarily adopt an outsider’s perspective and
carefully consider how your life in the present differs from the range
of experiences you lived through in the past. Creating a written list,
in a journal or otherwise, of those strengths, aptitudes, and inner
qualities you now attribute to yourself can help you accept that you
are not the same person you were one year ago, five years ago, or 10
years ago. Your attitudes, opinions, and values were likely markedly
different, and these differences can be ascribed to your willingness to
accept that you still have much to learn. If you have difficulty giving
yourself credit for these changes, think about the goals you realized,
the lives you touched, the wisdom you acquired, and the level of
enlightenment you attained over the past years.

Recognizing growth is neither boastful
nor immodest. Evolution is a natural fact of life and becomes a potent
motivational force when celebrated. Knowing that you are brighter,
stronger, and more grounded than you once were, you can look forward to
the changes to come. In acknowledging your growth, you build a sturdy
foundation upon which you can continue to blossom well into the future.
Published with permission from Daily OM

**************************************************

A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

The primary purpose of The Program is
freedom from addiction; without that freedom we have nothing. But that
doesn’t mean I can say, for example, “Sobriety is my only concern.
Except for my drinking, I’m really a sure person, so give me sobriety,
and I’ve got it made.” If I delude myself with such specious nonsense,
I’ll make so little progress with my real life problems and
responsibilities that I’ll likely return to my addiction. That’s why
The Program’s Twelve Step urges us to “practice these principles in all
our affairs.” Am I living just to be free of chemical dependence, or
also to learn to serve, and to love?

Today I Pray

May I relish and be grateful for my
sobriety, which is where all good things begin. But let me not stop at
that and give up trying to understand myself, the nature of God and of
humanity. Freedom from dependency is the first freedom. May I be
certain that there are more to come — freedom from tight-mindedness,
from the unrest of bottled-up feelings, from over-dependence on others,
from a Godless existence. May The Program which answered my acute needs
also answer my chronic ones.

Today I Will Remember

Sobriety is just a beginning.

**************************************************

One More Day

Quote: There is a magnet in your
heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness,
thinking of others first. – Paramahansa Yogananda

Friendships develop slowly and are
based on mutual interests and understanding. They are tested by time,
by changes in life circumstances, and even by health. To be a real
friend means being there when the chips are down, even when no one else
is. It means giving and not receiving, but trusting that our friends
are prepared to do the same.

Real friends take risks for one
another — especially emotional risks — and still don’t leave. A
cherished friendship is not questioned, for we know, deep in our
hearts, that we will always be there to help our close friends. We know
they will always be there to help us.

I have strong and rewarding
relationships. I cherish my friendships.

*****************************************

One Day At A Time

ACCEPTANCE“Because you’re not what I would have
you be,I blind myself to who in truth, you
are.”Madeleine L’Engle

The Big Book of AA says, “Acceptance
is the answer to all my problems.” I am finding this to be true for me.
Living in a household with several family members, I need to not focus
on others’ faults. I can choose to practice acceptance by looking past
what others do that I think they shouldn't do, and instead I can love
them for who they are.

In order to show unconditional love I
must look past their shortcomings. I need to stop dwelling on the fact
that they sometimes don’t do things the way I want them to. If I don't
do that, anger and resentments follow and I find myself trying to
control things and play God. We all know that doesn't work. It just
causes misery and takes away my joy, peace and serenity.

As I work my program of recovery, I am
better off to “let go and let God” and just accept others as they are.
Putting others in God’s hands and resisting the temptation to try to
make things turn out the way I want them to is the definition of
acceptance for me. When I love others unconditionally I experience
peace and serenity beyond my wildest dreams.

One day at a time ...I will practice the miracle of
acceptance and unconditional love.~ Bluerose

*****************************************

AA 'Big Book' - Quote

Henry Ford once made a wise remark to
the affect that experience is the thing of supreme value in life. That
is true only if one is willing to turn the past to good account. We
grow by our willingness to face and rectify errors and convert them
into assets. The alcoholic's past thus becomes the principle asset of
the family and frequently it is almost the only one! - Pg. 124 - The
Family Afterward

Hour To Hour - Book - Quote

If 'I don't wanna,' 'I don't have
time,' and 'Let someone else do it,' are your major responses to people
asking for help, remember this: the recovery that was there for you may
not be there for others if you don't serve. Service is one of the
principles we practice.

Tonight at the meeting I will serve my
group by helping to clean up.

Inner Hearing, Inner Sight

Today, I will trust my own heart. The
clear message that whispers within me has more to tell me than a
thousand voices. I have a guide within me who knows what is best for
me. There is a part of me that sees the whole picture and knows how it
all fits together. My inner voice may come in the form of a strong
sense, a pull from within, a gut feeling or a quiet knowing. However my
inner voice comes to me, I will learn to pay attention. In my heart I
know what is going on. Though I am conditioned by the world to look
constantly outside myself for meaning, today I recognize that it is
deeply important for me to hear what I am saying from within.

I will trust my inner voice.

- Tian Dayton PhD

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

Our program does not teach us how to
handle drinking and drugging. It teaches us how to handle recovery.

Another day, another recovery!

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book

AA does not teach us how to handle
drinking, it teaches us how to handle sobriety.

Time for Joy - Book - Quote

I love me because of all that I am,
not just a part of me. I fully accept myself just as I am today and
that feels so good.

Alkiespeak - Book - Quote

The first time I drank alcohol, I was
about 12 years old, and it made me feel so good that the way I felt
without it was never really OK again. Never really. - Bob D.

*****************************************

AA Thought for the Day

June 24

24-hour PlanGetting away from the pull of the
first drink is like putting a space vehicle in orbit.It takes a lot of thrust to overcome
the pull of gravity and get the vehicle off the ground.But once it gets in orbit, all that's
required is a small correction from time to time.That's how the 24-hour plan works -- a
small daily checkup and correctionto keep us away from the pull of that
first drink.The 24-hour plan is a discipline whose
yield is freedom.- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1],
p. 152

Thought to Ponder . . .Just for today, I choose not to drink.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .J F T = Just For Today.

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~

Self-will"The first requirement is that we be
convincedthat any life run on self-will can
hardly be a success.On that basis we are almost alwaysin collision with something or
somebody,even though our motives are good.Most people try to live by
self-propulsion.Each person is like an actor who wantsto run the whole show;is forever trying to arrange the
lights, the ballet,the scenery and the rest of the
players in his own way.If his arrangements would only stay
put,if only people would do as he wished,the show would be great.Everybody, including himself, would be
pleased.Life would be wonderful."1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp.
60-1

Thought to Consider . . .It's not making a mistake that will
kill me.It's defending it that does the damage.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*N U T S = Not Using The Steps

*~*~*~*~*^Just For Today!^*~*~*~*~*

Orderly TransferFrom: "When AA Came of Age"The full attendance of thousands of
A.A.s at St. Louis, representing an accurate cross-section of A.A.
opinion, now sat in convention before us. On the auditorium stage was
the Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, about a hundred men and
women who were the named and chosen representatives of the whole
fellowship. The Conference, having completed the fifth year of its
experimental period with a record of high success, was no longer an
experiment. It was the instrument destined to become the heart of
A.A.'s Third Legacy of Service and the whole of A.A.'s conscience,
world-wide.In the simple ceremony that followed,
I offered a resolution to the effect that our society should now take
its affairs into its own hands and that its Conference ought to become
the permanent successor to the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.Amid a roar of acclamation from the
floor, the Convention carried that resolution. There was silence, and
then we heard chairman Smith offer the resolution to the Conference for
its confirmation. A simple show of hands expressed the consent of the
Conference and marked the exact moment when A.A. came of age. It was
four o'clock. [July 3, 1955]1985, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous
Comes of Age, page 47

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"Tradition Six enjoins the group never
to go into business nor ever to lend the AA name or money credit to any
'outside' enterprise, no matter how good ... We would thus divide the
spiritual from the material, confine the AA movement to its sole aim
and insure (however wealthy as individuals we may become) that AA
itself shall always remain poor. We dare not risk the distractions of
corporate wealth." AA Co-Founder, Bill W., April 1948"Tradition Six"The Language of the Heart

*~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N'
Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"Actually we were fooling ourselves,
for deep down in every man,woman, and child, is the fundamental
idea of God. It may be obscuredby calamity, by pomp, by worship of
other things, but in some form orother it is there. For faith in a
Power greater than ourselves, andmiraculous demonstrations of that
power in human lives, are facts asold as man himself."Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, We
Agnostics, pg. 55

"We have three little mottoes which
are apropos.Here they are:First Things FirstLive and Let LiveEasy Does It."~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition,
The Family Afterward, pg. 135~

“Surrounded by so many A.A. friends,
these so-called loners tell us they no longer feel alone.”-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions –
p. 120 (Step Twelve)

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

All kinds of people have found their
way into A.A. Not too long ago, I sat talking in my office with a
member who bears the title of Countess. That same night, I went to an
A.A. meeting. It was winter, and there was a mild-looking little gent
taking the coats. I said, 'Who's that'And somebody answered, 'Oh, he's been
around for a long time. Everybody likes him. He used to be one of Al
Capone's mob.' That's how universal A.A. is today.We have no desire to convince anyone
that there is only one way by which faith can be acquired. All of us,
whatever our race, creed, or color, are the children of a living
Creator, with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and
understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.

Prayer for the Day: God, forgive me where I have been
resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid today. Help me to not keep
anything to myself but to discuss it all openly with another person -
show me where I owe an apology and help me make it. Help me to be kind
and loving to all people. Use me in the mainstream of life, God. Free
me of worry, remorse or morbid (sick) reflections that I may be of
usefulness to others. AMEN

Ask
and you shall receive,Seek and ye shall find,Knock and it shall be opened unto you.Matthew 7:7

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